Under most circumstances, an average golfer will not have any problems when he is asked to hit a 115-yard shot to get it to the green. The distance is not great and there are a variety of clubs that can help you negotiate that distance. However, if the golfer has to hit that shot over water, the situation becomes complicated. Instead of thinking what needs to be done to get the ball to fly 115 yards, the golfer starts thinking what he has to do to avoid the water hazard. That's negative thinking and often causes a poor shot.
Step 1
Ignore the hazard you are facing. In your mind, you have to realize the water will not come into play if you hit the ball squarely. You are going to pitch the ball high in the air and have it land on the green and roll toward the hole. Since the ball will not hit the ground before hitting the green, you don't have to think about the water.
Step 2
Let the club do the work. Take a look at your club head. On a 115-yard shot, you will most likely use a 9-iron or a pitching wedge to get the ball to fly that distance. The 9-iron and the pitching wedge have high lofts. That means when the club head strikes the ball, it will force the ball to fly into the air. The angle of the club head will send the ball in only one direction and that's up.
Step 3
Hit the bottom of the ball. The only thing that can send the ball down to the water is if you top the ball, create overspin and go into the water. By hitting the bottom of the ball, you will send the ball high into the air and avoid the hazard. Most golfers try to "lift" a shot when they are hitting over a water hazard. Golf teaching pro Pat Dolan says this can be a crucial mistake. "When facing something like a water hazard, where we want the ball to get up and over, we instinctively feel this need to lift and automatically do it," Dolan said. "However, when we lift, we lift all of the club including the club face and head, which then hits only the upper portion of the ball, resulting in a topped shot. Consequently, a topped shot goes downward and directly into the water."
Step 4
Hit the ball with your normal swing speed. Speeding up your swing to hit it farther often results in an errant swing. Slowing your swing down in order to hit with the sweet spot of your club is disastrous. Decelerating almost always results in the ball squirting off the face of your club and in this case dribbling into the hazard.
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